Working Woman

Panorama | Contemporary World Cinema

The woman of the title is Orna (Liron Ben Shlush); she’s strong-willed and smart, but that isn’t enough to save her from the advances of Benny (Menashe Noy), her mentor in the world of real estate. At first he’s encouraging, then he’s too forward; eventually he reveals his intentions, which will be familiar to the many women who have endured workplace harassment or worse.

Director Michal Aviad proves herself a master of tension, escalating Benny’s advances from the speculative to the downright scary as the film goes along. Eventually, it’s time for Orna to fight back; we’ve seen her strength and resourcefulness before this point, and when she employs them to set her own terms it’s a heartening moment. Noy is perfectly cast as the imposing alpha-male boss: glowering, stern and smooth, he’s like a ticking time bomb of aggression and entitlement. Ben Shlush radiates strength and courage as his resilient victim; her disillusionment, once it occurs, leads to action soon enough to allay any misgivings about her ability to carry on. She’s a survivor.